Nine Elms (Kate Marshall #1)(111)

Kate had so many feelings: of guilt, of dread and fear. She would never wish death on anyone, but it would have been a huge release if Peter Conway had died.

“No comment,” said Kate. She didn’t see Sheila and Malcolm walk up to their group, still tearful after saying goodbye to Caitlyn.

“Go on, shoo,” said Malcolm to the journalists, and they reluctantly moved off and left them alone.

“I know we’ve said it so many times, but thank you, Kate, and you, Tristan,” said Sheila, embracing them both. “Just for me to know that she’s lying to rest and I can come and sit by her grave and talk to her . . .” She began to tear up.

“If we can ever do anything for you,” said Malcolm. “Was that journalist from the local rag bothering you?”

“No. I’ve had worse,” said Kate.

“You must be pleased with that article in the Guardian? It was difficult for us to read, but it showed you for what you are, a great private detective, and you too, lad,” he added to Tristan.

Sheila opened her handbag. “We wanted to give you both this,” she said, handing Kate an envelope.

Kate opened it. It was a check for ￡5,000.

“We can’t take this,” she said, going to hand it back.

“It’s from the victims of crime fund, from the government . . . For Caitlyn’s death,” said Sheila. “We would like you and Tristan to have it, for your expenses, and also in the hope that you carry on doing what you’re doing. You were our last hope, and your detective work found our little girl.”

“Please, take it, and put it to good use,” said Malcolm. They hugged again and then left. Kate, Tristan, and Jake hung back for a moment.

The sun came out, and they made their way back to the car. Jake took Kate’s hand.

“I’ll hold your hand. No one knows me here,” he said.

“I’ll take what I can get. You’ll soon be a grown man and won’t want to hold my hand.” Kate smiled.

“Who fancies fish and chips?” asked Tristan.

“Me, me, me!” cried Jake. “I love that chip shop in Ashdean.”

“We’re miles from Ashdean,” said Kate.

“Let’s find one close by,” he said. “But can we go to the one in Ashdean when I come back to stay in two weeks?”

“Of course,” said Kate as they got in the car. Jake had asked if he could stay with Kate more often, and Glenda had agreed.

“Right, let’s find the nearest fish and chip shop. We also need to celebrate officially being professional private investigators,” said Tristan.

Kate nodded and smiled. She was concerned for the future and how Jake would deal with the trauma of what he’d been through in the coming years. For now, he was a happy kid who just wanted to go and get chips.

She promised herself she would hold on to this happiness and remember that the light always triumphed over darkness.





Author’s Letter

I want to say a huge thank-you for choosing to read the first book in my new crime series. If you did enjoy Nine Elms, I would be very grateful if you could tell your friends and family. A word-of-mouth recommendation is incredibly powerful, and it helps me reach out to new readers. Your endorsement makes a big difference! You could also write a product review. It needn’t be long, just a few words, but this also helps new readers find one of my books for the first time.

The seaside town of Ashdean, its university, and its inhabitants are fictitious, as is Thurlow Bay, where Kate Marshall lives on the clifftop. If you would like to look up the location on a map, I imagine Ashdean occupying a place on the south coast of England, next to a beautiful town called Budleigh Salterton. Great Barwell Psychiatric Hospital is also fictitious. The other locations used are real, but as with all fiction, I hope you’ll forgive me for using a little dramatic license.

To find out more about me, or to send me a message, you can check out my website: www.robertbryndza.com.

Kate Marshall will return shortly, for another gripping murder investigation in Shadow Sands. Until then . . .

Robert Bryndza





Acknowledgments

I’m extremely lucky to work with such a fantastic publishing team at Thomas & Mercer. Thank you to Denelle Catlett, Gracie Doyle, Oisin O’Malley, Laura Barrett, Laura Costantino, Lindsey Bragg, and Sarah Shaw. Thank you to Haley and Kellie at Kirkus.

Thank you to Pete Garceau for your beautiful, eerie, and atmospheric cover.

Special thanks to Liz Pearsons, senior editor, and developmental editor Charlotte Herscher. Working with you both is a real joy, and I’ve learned so much from you. Thank you for pushing me to make Nine Elms the best it could be.

Thank you to my brilliant agent, Amy Tannenbaum Gottlieb, and the equally brilliant team at the Jane Rotrosen Agency.

Thank you to Maminko Vierka. I wouldn’t be a successful writer without your help, love, and support. And a huge thank-you to my husband, Ján, the love of my life, my best friend, and my truth canyon. ? You believed in me every step of the way, even when I didn’t believe in myself. I’m so happy to be able to share our success together.

And lastly, the biggest thanks to my readers and the book-blogging community. When I started out, it was you who were there reading and championing my books. I will never forget that readers are the most important people. Thank you.